Celestial Lightning
by HikariAmuJackson
Summary: Lucy knew that she was weak without her keys. It was something she had long since accepted, knowing that there was nothing she could do about it. However, after her crushing defeat at the hands of Minerva, Lucy is done accepting her weakness and goes off on a solo training mission to get stronger. Keyword: Solo. So, how exactly did she end up traveling with the Raijinshu?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Hey, everybody. This is my first Fairy Tail multi-chapter story and yes it is one of the many Lucy leaves Fairy Tail fanfics, only it will be a bit different as it will have quite a few plot twist and it has nothing to do with Lucy getting replaced by Lisanna. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first chapter and if you like it give me a review to tell me that you want more.**

* * *

**Celestial Lightning**

**Chapter 1**

_"__Better to be strong than pretty and useless."_

_-Lilith Saintcrow, Strange Angels_

Lucy tiptoed into her house cautiously, glancing around nervously to make sure that none of her teammates had decided to invade her home because to be frank she really was not in the mood to face any of them at the moment. Once the blonde had prowled through her entire apartment and had found no trace of Natsu, Gray, or Erza she went back to her kitchen and made herself a quick cup of tea before retreating to her bedroom. She set the cup on a small side table next to her bed before diving under the covers with the book. The celestial mage tried for quite some time to read, but after spending five minutes on the same page tossed the book aside and rolled onto her stomach, finally letting herself think about the doubts that had been plaguing her since the Grand Magic Games.

Lucy had always been well aware that she was not as strong as most of the other mages on the team, but the blonde had been fairly confident that she would at least be able to hold her own against many of the other mages on the opposing teams during the Grand Magic Games. This belief however, was shattered to pieces almost immediately after she stepped into the arena for the first time and was dealt a crushing defeat by Flare (with the help of her teammates). The blonde mage had hoped to redeem herself during the Naval Game, but instead became victim to Minerva's brutal attacks, once again showing the world how utterly useless she was without her keys.

The fact that she was vulnerable without her keys was something that Lucy had been aware of from the moment she summoned her first celestial spirit. It was something she had grown to accept over the years as she knew that every type of magic had a weakness and that hers was something that she could not change. She had always countered her lack of brute strength with her brains, as she was a firm believer of brains over brawn. However, after having been defeated so often in battle she had come to hate that particular weakness and was determined to change it no matter how difficult the cost. That was why after locking herself in her apartment for a full two days after coming back from the Grand Magic Games she had finally made the decision to go off on her own to train for a bit. It had been a difficult decision to make, but Lucy knew that it was for the best. She had put off doing any legitimate training for too long and she had to stop before it became more of a liability than it already was. Lucy sighed and rolled onto her side as she reached over and flicked off her lamp, sending her room into complete darkness as she snuggled into her bed and fell asleep within minutes.

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The next morning Lucy woke up with an abnormally strong sense of determination as she knew that this day was not going to be an easy. However, the usually perky blonde girl had firmly made up her mind about going on this training mission and she was going follow through with it at any cost. Lucy took a quick shower before pulling on a dark blue mid-thigh length skirt with a light grey band around the top with a white mid-riff top with gold trim around the top and bottom and a blue heart design in the center. She accented the outfit with a blue vest that was also trimmed in gold along with blue non attached sleeves that were tied with a gold ribbon at the top and ended white. To anybody else it would have seemed a little too over the top for a training trip, but Lucy was a firm believer in the principle of dressing for success and knew that she would feel much better about what she about to do if she looked good while doing it. Lucy grabbed a quick bowl of cereal before grabbing the travel case she had packed and quickly pulled on a pair of thigh high dark blue tights and her usual brown boots. Satisfied in her preparation and deciding that she was ready to go she headed out of her apartment, securely locking the door behind her. As she strolled down the path to Fairy Tail she began mentally planning out her journey, making the first stop on her journey the forest near Hargeon since one of her main goals was to find the long lost Chinese Zodiac Keys and they were last seen in the aforementioned forest.

Soon enough Lucy found herself approaching the door to Fairy Tail and gulped nervously in apprehension as she made her way to the door. Pushing it open slightly, she slipped in through a tiny crack, trying to get into the building unnoticed. She sneaked through the guild quietly, finding it surprisingly easy not to draw attention to herself in the midst of the craziness that is Fairy Tail. She quickly ducked behind the bar once she had reached it and knocked on Master Makarov's door as she intended to tell him about her plans first.  
The door opened slightly and Makarov's head poked out and gleefully took in the sight of Lucy.

"Lucy!" he exclaimed joyfully. "How rare to see you at my office. Come in, Come in."Lucy followed Master into the office and took a seat on one of the chairs across from his desk, fidgeting nervously and looking everywhere but Master's face.

"Is everything alright Lucy?" Makarov asked, noting the girl's unusual behavior.

"Well Master, it's just that I was thinking of leaving Fairy Tail for a bit?"

"What?!" Master exclaimed nearly falling out of his chair. "Lucy, why would you want to leave? Is something wrong? Has someone done something?"

"No, no it's nothing like that," Lucy soothed trying to calm the older mage down. "I don't want to quit the guild. I just want to go and travel for a bit to do some training. I'll be back as soon as I can and it's not going to be a permanent thing."

Makarov let out a sigh of relief at her words, glad the celestial mage was not leaving the guild. He knew that something would feel off if Lucy was no longer a part of Fairy Tail. Although she was rather new she had quickly become one of the central members of Fairy Tail , and nothing would feel the same if she was gone.

"If you want to go off for a little while to do some training I won't say anything to stop you. I'm glad that your taking greater interest in increasing your abilities," Makarov grinned, hopping up to perch on his desk.

"I'm sure when you come back you'll be stronger then ever. Strong enough for S-class perhaps?" he suggested slyly, dancing inwardly at the possibility of having yet another attractive female S-class Mage.

Lucy widened his eyes at the suggestion as she had not even thought of progressing that far as she knew it was a long way off.

"Erm...let's not get hopes up to high Master," she said anxiously as she got out of the chair. "Well, I'm be off right after I talk to the rest of Team Natsu, so I'll see you later then?"

"Of course. And make Fairy Tail proud on your trip!" Makarov yelled, holding his hand up in the Fairy Tail sign. Lucy grinned happily at the familiar sight and returned it enthusiastically before venturing back out into the main hall to find her team.

She had to look around for a bit before she saw Erza sitting at a table near the middle of the hall eating cake with Happy sitting next to her, while Natsu and Gray fought behind her. Lucy carefully began navigating her way towards the table, dodging stray punches, beer bottles, and stray spells as she passed by the multiple brawls going on by the bar. Once she finally made it safely to where Erza was she plopped down opposite her and groaned, wondering why Fairy Tail mages insisted on fighting twenty four/seven

"It really shouldn't have to be such a process to get to a table," she griped bitterly to Erza who had watched the blondes antics as she made her way across Fairy Tail, amused at the celestial mages rather unique dodging style.

"It's improving your dodging abilities," though she commented before spooning a piece of strawberry cake into her mouth. "That will be pretty useful in battle."

"I'd rather learn a more conventional way," Lucy muttered. "Anyways, there was something I wanted to talk to you and the rest of Team Natsu about."

"We're all ears," Erza replied before noting the two brawling mages behind her. In a flash she reached back and pulled them apart, setting them on each side of the table. The ice mage and fire mage started to protest, but Erza shut them up easily with a menacing glare before turning back to Lucy.  
"We are now anyway."

"I'm going to be going solo for a bit," Lucy said quietly affixing her three teammates with a serious glare.

"EHHHH!" Natsu and Gray shouted simultaneously as they both leaned over the table to look at Lucy. Erza managed to keep her composure at the sudden announcement although her eyes widened considerably and she found herself holding back an "eh" of her own. She quickly pulled herself together and pushed the still in shock Natsu and Gray back into their seats.

"What brought this on?" Erza inquired solemnly looking across the table at Lucy who had finally decided to take a seat.

"Well, it's just that I did practically nothing during the Grand Magic Games. I couldn't defeat Flare, Minerva nearly killed me, and I got kidnapped...again," Lucy explained quietly, keeping her gaze locked on the table. "I need to get stronger...and I can't do that if I always have you guys around to bail me out of my problems. I actually won't be going on that many jobs though. I'll mainly be traveling around to do some training."

"Look Luce, you're not giving yourself enough credit. You would have defeated Flare if that guy hadn't interfered," Natsu protested while Happy agreed with an enthusiastic "AYE!"

And Minerva was an insanely strong opponent, I mean even Erza had a hard time defeating her. Besides you still came in second place which is good," Gray remarked.

"Where is this even coming from anyway? You're one of our strongest members!"

"You're contracted to all, but two zodiac keys. That's better than most celestial mages."

"Not to mention celestial magic is rare in the first place so-"

"SHUT UP!" Erza yelled randomly, shocking the ice mage and the fire mage into silence as she turned to address Lucy."I personally think that these two idiot are right, but if really think this training trip is necessary we're not going to stop you. However, you will be expected to return to Team Natsu upon your return."

"Thanks, Erza," Lucy smiled leaning across the table to hug the red headed mage.

"Go then if you feel like you have to," Natsu grumbled as he sunk lower into his seat with a pouty face.

"Just make sure you come back with enough strength to take out flame brain over here."

"Aye!" Happy said in a quivery voice as he tried to put on a smiling face, despite his sadness at Lucy leaving.

"Thanks guys!" Lucy exclaimed gathering the two into a big hug, before turning to Happy and hugging him as well, telling him to take care of Natsu for her while she was gone. She then swung her legs over the bench she was sitting on and stood up from the table, collecting her suitcase somewhere in the process.

"Well I already told Master that I'll be leaving," Lucy said nervously as she shuffled awkwardly in place. "And umm a goodbye would make this seem like this was a permanent thing and it's not, so how about I just say see you later."

"See you later," the three chorused softly in response as Lucy waved to them before turning to leave the building leaving the group of three mages to watch sadly as the celestial mage walked out of Fairy Tail, dragging her suitcase behind her.

Lucy found herself holding back a couple of tears as she left the Fairy Tail building and started to walk down the pathway to the train station. She was not exactly sure why she was on the verge of tears, though she suspected it had a lot to do with how different heading to the train station was this time. There was no over excited Natsu and Happy dragging her around, there was no walking calmly down the path alongside Erza, who was always pulling a cartload of luggage behind her, and there was no Team Natsu waiting for her at the train station. She was totally alone this time. And something about it made her want to burst into tears and run back to Fairy Tail, leaving behind all thoughts of training and getting and getting stronger.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**First off, i just have to say that the response to this story has been incredible and that I am incredibly thankful to all of you who have favorite, followed, and reviewed this story. Secondly, I am sooooo incredibly sorry that this chapter took as long as it did. Life has been pretty crazy lately, and track season just started so I've barely had time for anything that's not schoolwork, especially with all the stuff they pile on before spring break. However, updates will usually take 2-4 weeks which may seem like a long time, but thats the fastest I can do especially since, I've got another fic currently going to Young Justice. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.****  
**

**-Hikari**

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**Chapter 2**

Lucy made it to the train station in record time, something she was extremely glad about when she realized that if she had reached the station a second later she would have missed her train. She climbed onto the train with ease and immediately began to scour the train for an empty seat. However, it seemed that everybodyMagnolia had decided to travel to Hargeon that day because after searching for a good ten minutes she still hadn't found an available seat.

After, searching the train for a good ten minutes, the blonde mage stumbled to the back of the train and knocked on the door of the last compartment, praying that this compartment had an open seat. The door swung open seconds after she knocked, and Lucy found herself face to face with Evergreen, much to the shock of both mages.

"What are you doing here?" Evergreen asked rudely. "And where's the rest of your little crew?"

"They're still at the guild. I'm going to Hargeon on my own for training," Lucy explained ignoring Evergreens haughty tone. "Do you guys have an extra seat?"

"Yes, but Laxus-"

"Great!" Lucy exclaimed, cutting Evergreen off as she brushed by the fairy mage and entered the compartment. She knew where Evergreen was heading the minute she said Laxus, but she desperately wanted to sit down, and if it meant having to put up with a Laxus she would deal with it.

The three men in the compartment didn't bother to look up when Lucy entered the compartment, having overheard her conversation with Evergreen and deciding that traveling with the celestial mage wouldn't be a big deal. Evergreen however, huffed angrily at Lucy's intrusion and stalked back to her seat next to Laxus with an angry expression. Lucy decided to take the seat next to Freed, as he seemed the calmest out of the group and after exchanging a polite greeting with the green haired mage, pulled out a book and a soundpod.

She was just about to delve into the book, which was of course a romance novel, when a rough voice broke through her music.

"I heard you left the peanut gallery behind. Have you finally decided to ditch those idiots?"

"I'm not ditching them," Lucy said, glaring at the speaker. "I'm just going solo temporarily it's no big deal."

"If you say so blondie," Laxus replied, closing his eyes once again and putting his hands behind his head.

"Blondie, real original," Lucy muttered under her breath before turning to look at the others in the compartment.

"So, why are you guys going to Hargeon?" she asked in an attempt to be friendly.

"There have been reports of some people vanishing and we were called to check it out," Evergreen said smugly. "We were personally requested by the mayor."

"Impressive," Lucy commented. "Do you think it's a dark guild?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Evergreen said ambiguously before she turned to look out the window, making it very clear that she didn't want to continue this conversation.

"What about you Bixlow?"

"Doesn't matter either way to me as long as I get to take them out," Bixlow grinned, sticking his tongue out.

"Take them out!" his dolls cheered happily behind him.

Lucy sweatdropped at the very Natsu-like response and immediately turned back to her book, deciding that they would only befriend her if they wanted to, making any attempt on her part useless.

The rest of the train ride, passed by in silence, at least for Lucy who had noticed some of the Raijinshuu members talking to each other on occasion, but had drowned them out by turning up the volume of her music. The train ride was almost over when she had a startling realization. She lifted her head up and began observing Laxus carefully, eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

"Oi! What are you staring at blondie?"

"What happened to your motion sickness?"

"I don't have motion sickness," Laxus growled, fixing Lucy with a deadly stare.

"All dragon slayer have motion sickness."

"Not me."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and looked a little closer noticing that not only was Laxus sweating more than what could be deemed average for the weather, but that he also seemed to be unusually hot and she determined that he was simply pretending that the train ride wasn't affecting him.

"Does he always pretend like this?" she asked Freed, who was also in the midst of a book.

"Laxus does not pretend," Freed replied simply, closing his book at the exact moment the train screeched to a halt. "It appears we have reached out destination.

Lucy rolled her eyes at Freed's attempt to change the subject, but easily let the matter go considering that it was none of her business. She quickly packed up her book and soundpod and headed out the door before the Raijinshuu, eager to start her training. The Raijinshuu tribe followed close behind, conversing quietly between themselves about their next mission. Lucy smiled happily when she stepped off the train, glad to finally be rid of the Laxus and his crew. She was sure that underneath their closed off attitudes, they were perfectly nice people, but that did not make spending long periods of time with them any less awkward.

Lucy decided not to spend much time in Hargeon, figuring that if she stayed too long she would be reluctant to leave, so she grabbed a quick lunch at a bar near to the station, before heading out into the forest bordering the town.

As Lucy ventured into the forest she was acutely aware of the presence of others traveling right behind her. The presences unnerved her greatly, though she didn't sense a malicious aura from them and she began constantly checking her belt to make sure that her keys were still securely in place.

And this was how her journey proceeded for several hours, a constant checking of keys with an occasional glance behind her as she combed the forest for a decent training spot. However, as Lucy was inspecting a small clearing in the forest, she could feel one of the presences inching closer to her until-

**_CRASH_**

Lucy whirled around and extended her whip out, wrapping it around the person wrist, before throwing them into the closest tree. It was only when Lucy finally took a good look at the person did she recognize the gray knights helmet that belonged to none other than Bixlow.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at the semi-unconcious man.

"Our job requires us to be here" answered a condescending voice, causing Lucy to turn around just in time to see Laxus, Evergreen, and Freed emerge from the forest.

"You've found a nice clearing here," Freed added sweeping his gaze across the the area. "Mind if we stay here while we're on the job?"

Lucy sighed at the request knowing there was no way she could refuse, especially since they had let her tag along in their train compartment.

"Fine," she mumbled. Just don't interrupt my training."

"Don't worry about it bunny girl," Laxus mocked. "Nobody will disturb your precious training."

Lucy's eyes twitched dangerously as an Erza-like purple cloud of irritation began gathering around her. Bixlow, Freed, and Evergreen took a startled step back, shocked by the evil aura, while Laxus watched with a raised eyebrow and a smug smirk, eager to see what the blonde would do.

Lucy herself had an overwhelming urge to kick the scarred blonde into next week and was on the verge of doing just that when she realized that Laxus would completely destroy her if she did so. The girl immediately quenched to her anger, much to the surprise of those around her and when the dark aura had vanished completely she looked up with a bright smile.

"Thanks Laxus," she chirped as she moved towards her suitcase, which was resting near the edge of the clearing. She began to set up her sleeping bag and tent all the while humming a cheerful song as she exuded a flowery aura that put images of unicorns and flowers in the minds of Raijinshuu. The four exchanged bewildered glances, before moving to set up camp, silently agreeing not to speak of what had just occurred.

They finished setting up at around sunset and had managed to pull together a rather nice campground. The fire pit was set up with tents were off to the side, Bixlow, Freed, and Laxus had caught some fish and were preparing to roast them while Ever and Lucy took an extremely awkward bath in a nearby stream.

After Lucy changed into a simple pair of sweatpants and a matching top, she decided to begin her training with some instruction from Capricorn. She reached for the key as she took a seat in the middle of the clearing, folding her legs indian style.

"Open Gate of the Goat: Capricorn," Lucy called in a clear voice, sticking the key into the air and turning it as if she was opening a door. A golden light slowly shimmered into existence as she completed the call and within seconds a humanoid goat clad in a butler suit was standing in front of Lucy.

"Are you ready to begin your training Lucy-sama?"

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**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Guys I am so sorry that it took me so long to update. The last few month of the school year was really hectic for me because I had a lot to do with track and stuff and since I had a meet every Saturday, I had absolutely no time to right. But I'm summer break right now, so i'll hopefully be updating more than usual. Also, I want to thank you all so much because this story has become much bigger than I can imagine and I'm just so grateful for all you who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. **

**Anyways, onto the story**

**-Hikari**

**P.S. Follow me on tumblr at .com**

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**Chapter 3**

10 minutes later, Lucy was sitting indian-style the middle of her and the Raijinshuu's makeshift camp, summoning all the magic energy she could.

"Okay, now same as the last time we trained I want you to push your magic out of you and into the air around you," Capricorn instructed, causing the blonde mage to flash back to to the last time she had done this. Lucy responded to his words with a small humming noise, indicating that she heard him before taking a deep breath and mentally pushing her magic away from her body. Accompanying the action was a prickly sensation that seemed to crawl underneath her skin, causing Lucy to shiver uncomfortably. Once the magic left her body, it manifested around the blonde as a cylinder of golden energy that pulsed in time with Lucy's breathing.

"Good," Capricorn murmured quietly. "Now hold it there for as long as you can. You'll know it's time to let go when you can feel your control on your magic slipping."

Lucy let out a small hum to let Capricorn know she heard him and then placed her focus completely to the task at hand, tuning out everything else around her.

_30 seconds_

Lucy's body was starting to tremble slightly from the effort it took to prevent her magic from returning to her body and she almost let her hold on the magic slip, but the blonde mage quickly recovered, gritting her teeth and fighting against the magic with a renewed determination

_60 seconds_

The celestial mage's breath was starting to come out in short, rapid burst as she struggled to keep the magic in check. And if the look on her face wasn't enough to show that she was struggling, the cylinder of energy surrounding her was starting to pulse erratically, due the unevenness of her breathing.

_90 seconds_

Lucy's vision was starting to blur causing colors and shapes to shift in and out out of focus so rapidly that it made her head spin.

_100 seconds_

Lucy could feel her control over her magic beginning to slip and she frantically began to reach out with her mind in one last desperate attempt to stop the magic from returning to her body.

_105 seconds_

Lucy finally gave up her attempts to remain in control and let what little control she still had over magic go, letting it return back to her body. The second all traces of her magic vanished from the air, the mage collapsed onto the ground, causing an expression of panic to flash across Capricorn's face.

"Lucy-sama!" he cried rushing over to help Lucy up.

"I'm okay," Lucy breathed waving Capricorn away as she pushed herself back into a seating position while Capricorn hovered cautiously above her in case she collapsed again.

"That was exhausting," she remarked tiredly, taking out the small ponytail on top of her head in order to pull all of her hair up into a high ponytail.

"It will be," Capricorn replied handing her a bottle of water that he had summoned from the spirit world. "But if you do this everyday, you'll definitely see the difference. You'll be able to keep your spirits out longer, summon more than two at once, and I'll be able to teach you the cool stuff."

"Like how to manipulate celestial magic?" Lucy questioned gazing up at Capricorn with bright, wide eyes.

"That among other things," Capricorn replied. "Like-"

"That's not possible," Laxus cut in drawing the gaze of both the spirit and the blonde mage, both of whom had thought that he and the rest of the Raijinshuu were asleep.

"Are all of you awake?"asked Lucy as Laxus sat up in his bedroll and leveled the girl and her spirit with a cool stare.

"To do that you would have to be able to manipulate your magic outside your body which is something even the most accomplished mages haven't been able to do," Laxus continued ignoring Lucy's question.

"Did you just ignore me?"

"Maybe for normal mages, but celestial mages are different. Celestial mage's magic is a combination of the both the mages own magic and spirit's magic which come from celestial energy. When a celestial mage opens a gate, she too has access to this energy and if he or she is powerful enough then they can manipulate it without the use of their spirits," Capricorn explained.

"I've never heard of that before," Laxus said raising an eyebrow.

"That's because not only are celestial mages rare, but celestial mages who can pull that off are even more rare. The last celestial mage who was able to pull it off died a couple hundred years ago," Lucy said in an irate tone, still aggravated about Laxus ignoring her. "There's no way you could have heard of it."

"What's that supposed to mean," Evergreen spat, popping up out of her bedroll.

"Weren't you asleep two seconds ago?"

"Did you just insult Laxus?

"No," Lucy said incredulously. "And what's with everyone ignoring my questions!"

"Wait-" Bixlow interjected as he rose out of his bedroll. "If celestial mages who can do that energy manipulatey things are rare, why do you think that you can do it?"

"Because I'm determined and the only reason most celestial mages don't master the skill are because they're unmotivated."

"And you're motivated?" Freed asked rolling over to peer at the group.

"Were any of you asleep!" Lucy shouted, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "And yes. I am motivated. Got a problem with that?" Freed flinched a little inwardly at her harsh tone, but simply raised his hands in a sign of peace and returned to sleep.

"Any of the rest of you got any questions?" Lucy said casting her eyes around at the group, her eyes lingering on Laxus for a second before she looked away.

"Good," she remarked ignoring Bixlow's raised hand and turning to face Capricorn. "Are you up for doing this again tomorrow evening?"

"Of course Lucy-sama," Capricorn replied, bowing slightly. "However, I recommend doing the exercise in the morning as well for extra practice."

"Sure thing," Lucy chirped. "See you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow Lucy-sama," Capricorn said as he faded out, leaving behind a faint golden glow. Lucy let a tired yawn as he vanished and as soon as he was gone, she crawled over to her bedroll, flopping tiredly onto the plush surface. She lied there for a moment before rolling over onto her back, so that she could look up at the stars, that were just visible through the canopy of leaves above her.

Lucy let a small smile play across her face as she began to identify her spirits constellations in the stars above her. Finally, her eyes fell on an unusually bright star to the left of Leo the Lion.

"Hi Mom," Lucy said softly to the star.

"I'm finally starting that training you always wanted me to do. I'll admit that I wasn't planning on the Raijinshuu being around while I'm training, but they can't be that bad right? I'm sure I just need some time to get used to them," Lucy paused letting out a weary sigh. "I'm going to start looking for the zodiac keys tomorrow, mom. I know how much you wanted to find them when you were still here and I'll make sure to find them for you.

"Now I better to bed, I've got a long day ahead of me what with the exercise and combat training in the morning and then zodiac key hunting in the afternoon," Lucy murmured rolling onto her stomach and pulling a blanket over herself.

"Night mom," she whispered as she fell asleep, completely unaware of the Raijinshuu member who had been listening to the entire conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Hey everybody and welcome to the fourth chapter of Celestial Lightning. I regret to inform you that this chapter is lacking in the Laxus department, although there is quite a bit of everyone's favorite lion spirit. This chapter is also a little shorter then usual, but I really wanted to get this chapter out before I head off to band camp this Sunday. I may update later on in the week before I go to band camp, but it depends on how quickly I can get a chapter out of my other Young Justice fanfiction Double Speed. I will try to get another out though. Anyways, please enjoy this installment of Celestial Lighting.**

**Disclaimer: People who go to band camp don't own famous manga's**

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Chapter 4

Despite her total exhaustion the night before, Lucy still woke up at the crack of dawn as the blonde was determined to get an early start to her day. Immediately after she rolled out of bed, the mage ran through an intense yoga routine, as part of her training involved strengthening her core and improving her flexibility, both of which yoga was good for. She then went through Capricorns training exercise, managing to hold onto her magic for just a second more than she was able to the last time. Then, after grabbing a quick breakfast that consisted of a bowl of fruit and some milk (she was also trying to eat healthier as well) she summoned Loke and prepared to leave the campground and the sleeping Raijinshuu behind.

"Don't you think you should leave a note princess," Loke commented as Lucy finished attaching her belt to her simple outfit of black yoga pants and light blue tank top. "In case they think you've been captured or something.

"They'll know I haven't been captured because my bedroll is made and I doubt kidnappers let their victims make their beds before they kidnap them."

"Do you really think they're that observant?"

"Maybe not Bixlow and Ever," Lucy admitted glancing at the said mages who were still sleeping blissfully unaware of the quiet argument that was taking place. "Though I doubt Ever would care even I was kidnapped, but I'm pretty sure Laxus and Freed would notice. Freed is clever and even though Laxus can be a jerk, he's still an S-Class Mage."

"They might think that the kidnapper's trying to trick them" Loke intoned. "Besides what if something happens to us out there, they won't know if somethings gone wrong if you don't leave a note."

Lucy sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead in exasperation.

"Okay, I'll write a note," she gave in, crouching down by her bedroll and pulling her journal out. The celestial mage quickly ripped out a page and scribbled a quick message down on it, signing it with a flourish before dropping it on top of her bedroll.

"Can we go now?" Lucy half-whined looking at Loke imploringly from her crouching position, tilting her head, so that her hair, which had once again pulled into a high ponytail, fell over her shoulder.

"Of course, princess," Loke smiled, offering her his hand, which she gratefully took, allowing the spirit to pull her into a standing position.

"All right then, Let's Go!" the mage cried excitedly, fist pumping the air with one hand while the other dragged Loke behind her as she dashed into the forest.

"You sound like Natsu," the lion spirit laughed as they weaved their way through the underbrush surrounding the campgroud.

"Oh my gosh," Lucy breathed, horrified.

"I did sound like him oh my gosh. What if I start acting like him too? I don't want to get in stupid fights or do reckless stunts! I can't afford to be an idiot!" wailed Lucy, flinging herself onto Loke.

"There, there," Loke soothes, smoothing down her hair. "It is only natural to pick up habits from people you spend a lot of time with. Besides, I would love you even you acted like Natsu and my love is the only kind that matters."

Lucy's eyes twitched in annoyance at the last comment and before Loke knew what was going on a foot had collided with his chest, sending him flying into the underbrush.

"Don't be such a flirt," Lucy shouted after him, then continued making her way through the forest.

Loke rejoined her five minutes later, covered in small scratches, but was otherwise unharmed due to his landing is a rather soft pile of leaves.

The pair made the rest of the trip in silence as Loke did not want to risk ticking off Lucy again and Lucy was too busy trying not to trip over a root and fall on her face to make conversation.

The silence was finally broken when they reached the base of Mount Hargeon and both Lucy and Loke let out a simultaneous "whoa" at the sight of it as the mountain was unbelievably massive. It towered above the masses of trees surrounding it and when Lucy peered through the canopy of leaves, she could see the way it vanished into the sky, the tip of it being obscured by a plethora of fluffy clouds.

"This is going to take forever," Lucy breathed, her initial excitement somewhat quelled at the sight of the huge mountain. However, she quickly shook of the overwhelmed feeling, determined not to let the sheer size of the mountain get to her and then turned to Loke so that she could lay out her plan to the lion spirit.

"So, I was thinking we'd divide the mountain into sections and then we would tackle one section for a day of two and then move on to the next section. I figured that, that way it would be easier to keep track of where we have and haven't searches."

"Good plan, but how do we divide it?" Loke asked scanning the mountain up and down.

"Umm...well...the very base will be section one," Lucy said, pointing to the tree covered area next to the mountain. "The area of the mountain from the base of the trees to the top of the trees with be section two, from the top of trees to the middle of the mountain is section three, the middle of the mountain to where the mountain disappears into the clouds is section four, and from there up is section five."

Loke stared at Lucy with an impressed look on his face as she smiled confidently back at him, extremely proud of her planning skills, though the long explanation had left her slightly winded.

"Come on let's get started!" Lucy said, tugging Loke along as she darted even closer to the base of the mountain.


End file.
